Morning journal and courier., 1887-04-22
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
Work PiIing Up For The
Commission.
BISMARCK AND THE VATICAN.
Many Callers Crowding On
Blaine.
THIRTY-THREE LIVES LOST.
The Methodist Book Con-
Germs Success.
INTERSTATE PROBLEMS.

Fruit Growers and Mine Owners In
California Give the commissioners
Something to Think Over.
WASHINGTON, April 21.-Mr. E. Fl. Taft
presented to the Interstate commerce COM
mission to-day a petition of Sutton & Co.,
of New York, protesting against suspending
the fourth section of the bill in the interests
of the railroads as it would destroy the clip
per carrying trade of the country, against
which the transeontinental lines had waged
unrelenting war. kilograms were received
by the inter State commerce commission
this morning signed by numerous fruit
growers of Santa Clara county, California,
earnestly asking the commission to give
them competition by quick transit as the
fruit could not be shipped at the present alb
solutely prohibitory rates; also from J. B.
Randall, manager of the Alexander quicksil-
yer mine of California, saying as their pro-
duct comes into competition with Spanish
quicksilver in the New York market the
rates for transcontinental passage are SO high
that the California quicksilver is shut out of
the market.
Colonel George Gray, attorney for the
Northern Pacific railroad, at the afternoon
session of the commission presented petit
ton of his road in which 1t is stated that a
carrier by railroad cannot compete success
fully with a carrier by water for any consid-
cradle period, for the reason that rates which
would be remunerative to the latter would
entail loss upon the former; that the Cana
dian Pacific railroad, subject to the laws of
Canada and unrestricted by the Interstate
commerce laws, can and has pnt its rates SO
low that it has deprived the Northern Pacific
railroad of by far greater part of its trans
continental business. The petition concludes
by asking that the fourth section of the bill
be suspended. Colonel Gray explained the
petition at length and said the question wss
not SO much constituting the fourth section in
favor of the railroads as modifying it in the
interest of the American people, for the re-
suit would inevitably be the destruction
of American industries and the transfer
of the American transcontinental carriage
business to foreign lines or building up
water carriage business to be carried in for
eign bottoms. In answer to question by
CommiseionerSchoonma ColonelGray said
1t was necessary to suspend the fourth Sec
ton for the continued prosperity of the road.
Mr.. j. ID. Searle, who represented the sugar
refneries of New York, appeared to protest
against the suspension of the fourth section.
He protested against any special rates for
Pacific coast rehners to the Mississippi val
ley which would operate to their disadvan-
tage.
ALI the petitions having been filed MIR. E.
N. Taft on behalf of Sutton & Co. addressed
the commission at length. He said-if. the
fourth section was suspended it would sim
ply be death to the clipper carrying trade
of the country. Let the bill remain as it is
and its practical operation between now and
the meeting of Congress would demonstrate
whether it was not on the whole beneficial
If the roads e1erted the same energy in carry
ing out the law that they are using to secure
its suspension he thought they would not find
such hardships in it as pointed out in their
petitions. In answer to Commiss Toner
SHOEMAKER as to whether, if the facts
set forth about the Canadian Pacific were
correct, the clipper ships would not be in the
same position, he said he was in favor of en-
forcing the law against the Pacific roads.
:'Why not let the roads adjust themselves to
the new state Of THINGS" asked Commission
or Shoemaker. ri would enforce the law
replied Mr.. Taft Chang them first, ;" sug-
gested Commissioner SHOEMAKER. At the
conclusion of Mr.. Taft's remarks the commits
sion adjourned